Automobile-accelerator foot-rest.



O, H. HICKS.

AUTOMOBILE ACCELERATOR FOOT REST.

' APPLICATION FILED DEC. H; 1915.

l 9 1 86,095 Patented June 6, 1,916.

n p. fiimll lid.

Application filed December;

To all whom it may (ON/(W71 citizen oi the United States, and a r intofthe city of 'lhicago, in the county olf Cook and State of Illinois, have:nvent same, reference heing had to the aeeonrpanylngz drawings, and lothe minerals oi reference marked thereon, which form a. part of thisspecification.

In practically every' type of nioior ear, with the exeeption of elertrievehirles and. steam driven ears, the operation of the ear is controlledalmost entirely h v means of the accelerator ])E(l2ll. The prinripallunetion of the arr-elerator 1)Q(lfll is to operate the throttle valvecontrolling the flow of fuel mixture into the engine. although au:\'-iliary eonnertions lunetionin;- to vary (he timing oi the Fparlc orother purposes may he connerleil thereto. Of course, a hauil throttlelever is generally l)l(l\'l(llll on the steering wheel for the Samepurpose, hut in very low instani-es this lever useil in open alting theear through its various: range oi speeds anil umler the man) ilill'erent(:onilitions eneountereil. The use of throttle lever in eonirollingg'the ear is (B); eeeilinglv ineonvenienl ;*.llowin; the operalor l'he useol' onl one hanrl ior the s Wing" wheel aml provi .51 a hiinlranre toeasy H1 gears. for the shifting: of the iransueis reason that eiiher thesteering wheel iii. must he releaneil or lhe throttle hn T ihe gears areshii'teil without ailjush'neul o the ihrv tle lever when 'Ehoaeeelera'iior peilal is not ueeill. the engine raves as the load thrownoli'. or the eluteh released, aiul this increase in the speed or raeinoi the engine wast eful of fuel. detrimental to The engine itself.flllll as well makes shifting" of the trausmis sion gears \Vliillfilitclashing. very (llilhlili. By using the, aeeeleraliw ell: i. hmve'rer.iioLh hanils of the operatoi." are entirely free l or use on thesteering wheel ao l gear shi lever, and the ac erator prilal may then heconveniently operaleil hy the loot So meet the vario i lions ol"driving. in oriler in s n'esenro on the pedal is re the speed oi. {heear eoaws along, in v as the gears are shift-ell anil power canSpecificazion of Letters Patent.

the han l Serial No.

' downal lowonce own with inn lhe pedal lo the in g the lz-raln-s on theeas.

ine 20 L! on 1* :eeierator pedal as a means 01 in the ear is ohvious.liiloweveix I the great ohfeciion lo the use, or ieeeleratm' malal hasbeen. the ii ioueh or n sure ailjus'larnent required vary the speefl ofthe eng'ne o the air, ae the (use may he, thus neoeseilazling more hemuscular strain upon. the legof the one ator in applying the fool; tothe pedal will: the proper ileggreo of pressure. Upon rough roails,proper inanipnlaixion. aeeelerahar gmlal has proved ZlllTlOb .eihle forihe reason that the ear 5 .\.i q hump or (lilll'ihSlOil, rauses ihe fooin he thrust ilownwarilly, thus il'@55$ll2' 3h eelerai'or peilaleonsiilerahi h I nial (hiring position. resuliving lil a i.

arul unileeirahle applii'a tion pow sum-esnion of jarring IIIOYQH'IJZESo? in ii unsiahle mention. on th wieh a resultant faliafii 1. 4. .L.

pin-amen oi. power w Ll 3 erky movement exeeeiiia i 'l in the oeonpanieof ear, and as We lul sire .nng' lhe and. entire ear have para mi hy T.enppor'ceil in aaareleraler peila a S1 was rlue r i. u

atoe plate rest is used dillieulty ex perlenced in proper manipulationof the accelerator penal, owing to the fact that the thrust or pressureof the operatofs foot for the purpose is largely re ted by the toe platefootrest' sometimes necessitating a shift of the fool; entirely from therest to the pedal in order to serure the proper depression thereofagainst its rs sting spring.

The objection to heel plate rt ts is the tart that practically theentire leverage of the foot is used in thrusting down the aceeler: torpedal with the heel as a fulcrum point and with the force exerted alongthe axis of the leg of the operator, so that considerable muscularexertion is required to withhold the toe of the shoe lightly upon theaircelerator pedal. ln b th the heel and the plate supports or rests orthe foot, the effort of rough roads is only partly relieved, and theoperator still experiences dillieulty in proper manipulation of thezu'rcelerator pedal. Another ob ection t the toe and heel plate l'ootrests is that the same are adapted for use of only one P(l'l)ll 'f l persons having-substantially the same loot or leg reach.

This invention. however, relates to an improved type of foot restcorrectly designed to fulcrum the foot as a lever in a positionsubstantially in line with the line of thrust along the leg of theoperator, so that the weight ol the leg and foot may be sustainedentirely by the foot rest :nd the foot rest may be used as a hraeo forthe. iperator in maintaining his seat. yet permitting an easy pivotalmovement of the foot upon the rest for artuation of the acceleratorpedal. This feature is obtained by providing a foot restmounted on thefloor of 'lhe mot r ear having a pivotally mounted curved pedal pla eadapted to it beneath and into the arch of the too; to support the footand permit the pivotal movement thereof required to depress theaecelerator pedal by the toe.

It is an. objecttherot'ore of this invention to eonstruct a tort restadapted to fit into and beneath the arch or instep ot' a foot to supportthe same and resist th ust through the-leg of the operator, and yetpermitting an easy pivotal movement of the foot to operate theaccelerator pedal beneath the toe thereof.

It is also an. object of this invention to provide a pivotal foot restadjustable as to height, adapted to r aaiive the areh oi' the foothearing thereon to aii'ord a braee end support the. foot as well. andpermit adjusting movements thereof for operation ol the aecele 'atorpedal by any purl of the l on ward portion of the foot.

It is furthermore an important objert ol thisinvention toprm'iile anadjustable pivotal foot rest readily adaptable for use by ditterent Sizefeet and lay persons having a dillerent leg: reaeln to support the weir;it of the foot and the thrust received throu -h leg at a. pivotal pointof support or the to per nil; easy operation of the nor pedal lay theforward portion of ti and arlimr turtherl due to engaejemrut front ofthe h el of ihe shoe, to brave tor the leg" and foot prevent 1 footslippiu; from the arrelerahu peda lt iinall an objer of this inventionto ronslruet an improved type oi support or rest for a look to sus ainthe u' -iglit and thrust applied thereto substanl'ally aloosz the lineof thrust and subs the (enter oi gravity ol tlu foot, and n a mannerpermitlinp' an easy museular artion of the toot tor :uljustmenl' of apedal bf. the forward end of the tool.

The invention ir a pre erred Euro illustrat'd in the drawings and hereiqmore fully described.

in the drawings: Figure l is :1 tr tai'y \lQW illustrating tlu devils inl nerted on the iioor of a molor ear. l similar YlL"W thereof,illustia-Lii the d rive in with a dillment ty e i releratoz pedal l'rmnthat shor i Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevatu deriee with the lioorshown in sectioi is a sertional View till-er on ill Fig. with parts inelevati n. top plan Yiet': ot' the pivoted pedal p [is shown in thedrawings: The relerl-nee nuuwral 1. indicates the horizon .ll port and ithe inrlined Fm-ward portion of L lloor or lloor board of a motor var,which may be detachable or not as the (us may be and provided as usualwith un type zua-elerator pedal 3. as shown. however piotally mountedThe \"onue tions to toe ox-- celerator 179i al 3. by which the valve forthe carbure o or othe: mechanisms may be operated A .i have been omittedand are well .i-znrm'n in the art, and hene no illustrat on or lionthereoi is believed to he 'mo' cured upon the upper surfer ol 1.horizontal portion l ol the i'loor board, is a circular base member orHill/ii L lUO which may be serur d to the lloor in any 315 suitablemanner. but as snowzn altar-heal j/ means of serews a; any number olwhioln of course, may be used for the purpor Halli base member 4. ispreferably it metal, and suitahl upertured t 1; screws 5. insertedtherethrough to into the iloor. {if cours Inui- Lie. oi metal the samein be u' thread d to rw'eive all ling bolts enga tlurewith. or drilledentirely i rough to re- 15 5 oeive the iHiHl boiled to the floor fromthe under side thereof.

in some. ins-tam A it may he desira le to make the base 4 integr: l withthe door. partieulurly it the floor is of metal} such as we cel- 6 l 6Q. cw gnu V. 0 R H :F D n 0 .11.5. 2. n C U. m

pm'tiun said foot plate to limit the pivotal movement thereof on saidrod.

2. A foot rest of the class described adapted to receive the instep of afoot resting thereon ior actuation 01: a pedal by the toe of the footcomprising a base plate adapted to be mounted rigidly in position, anupright member fitted adjustabiy therein, a set screw provided throughsaid base member adapted to be threaded im ardly to fritionally bearupon said upright member to hold the same in an adjusted position, acurved pedal plate, a pair of lugs depending from the under surfacethereof, the upper end of said upright member reduced in size to {itbetween said lugs and affording shoulders on each side of said uprightnnnber, and a pivot connected between said lugs and the reduced upperend of said upright member permitting pivotal movement of the pedalplate thereon, said lugs coacting with said. shoulders to limit themovement of the pedal.

A foot rest of the class described comprising a circular apertured basememher, a cylindrical. upright rod adjustable thercthrough, a set screwprovided in said base member adapted to be threaded inwardly to bearupon said rod to hold the same in an adjusted position in said basemember the upper end of said rod reduced in size afi'ording a flatupright tongue on the end thereof, a curved. pedal plate, lugs formed onthe under surface thereof substantially equi-distant from the forwardand rear ends of said plate adapted to fit on each side of the flattenedtongue on said upright member, and a pivot extending through 52 id iugsand through said tongue whereby said pedal is pivotaily mounted on saidupright member and is limited in its movement thereon by contact of thelower ends of its lugs with the upright member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

OS VAR H. HJiCKS.

Witnesses Ln ROY D. Kinny, EARL M. HARDINE.

